One of BMW’s two upcoming EVs is about to go into production, finally giving customers the all-electric BMW sport sedan we’ve all been waiting for. According to BMW board member Nicolas Peter, during a recent conference call, said that the BMW i4 will go into production this Autumn and will be built at the Munich plant.
The BMW i4 is going to be the brand’s first true electric sport sedan, something to actually compete against the Tesla Model 3. It will also be the brand’s most affordable EV and the one that’s most likely to get traditional BMW customers to switch over to electric.
When it debuts, the i4 will come in two different flavors; the BMW i4 40 and the BMW i4 M50. The former will start at $55,400 in the U.S. It will pack a single electric motor at the rear, with 335 horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque, along with an 81.5 kWh net-energy battery pack (83.9 kWh gross-energy). Its powertrain setup is said to get the i4 40 from 0-60 mph in 5.7 seconds, which is hot-hatch quick and far quick enough for most customers, while also providing around 300 miles of max range. Those specs are within the same range as the standard Tesla Model 3, which will make the EV sedan market very interesting in the near future.
The top-end model, the BMW i4 M50, will start at around $65,900 and will be much more powerful. It will get dual electric motors, making it all-wheel drive, that will combine to make 536 horsepower and 586 lb-ft of torque. Due to having an additional motor and more power, while also using the same battery as the i4 40, the BMW i4 M50 only getrs a range of around 235 miles. However, it makes up for that by getting from 0-60 mph in a claimed 3.9 seconds. Though, in reality, we suspect it will be quicker than that.
Fans and customers will be able to get a taste of the i4 soon enough, as it will begin production in just a couple of months. Stay tuned for more updates, as that production date gets closer.
